IOWA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT, 1917-1918

PETERSEN

Posted By: Pat Ryan White (email)
Date: 3/10/2017 at 10:08:24

IOWA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT, 1917-1918

1917 TOURNAMENT
The 1917 tournament was noteworthy for several reasons. In the first place, the eight teams emerged from the largest preliminary field. Secondly, because of the number of new teams to appear for the first time – MOUNT PLEASANT, Nashua, Indianola, Council Bluffs, and Iowa City. Thirdly, two of these new teams were destined to become champion and runner-up in both 1917 and 1918. Thus, MOUNT PLEASANT defeated Iowa City twice in succession, a coincidence that has occurred only one in over forty years of tournament history.

The record of the eight teams competing in 1917 high school tournament is worth recording:

FIRST ROUND
MT. PLEASANT 12 - Nashua 8
Marshalltown 9 - Council Bluffs 5
Iowa City 12 - Sioux City 11
Indianola 13 - Fort Dodge 12

SEMI-FINALS
MT. PLEASANT 9 - Marshalltown 4
Iowa City 28 - Indianola 10

CONSOLATION
Marshalltown 16 - Indianola 12

CHAMPIONSHIP
MT. PLEASANT 28 - Iowa City 22

1918 TOURNAMENT
In 1918 five new teams entered the state tournament – Dallas Center, Ellston, Goldfield, New Hampton, and Sioux Center. The record of this tournament left three tournament veterans in the top three positions:

FIRST ROUND
MT. PLEASANT 30 - Dallas Center 11
Ellston 30 - Goldfield 22
Iowa City 29 - New Hampton 9
Cedar Rapids 20 - Sioux Center 16

SEMI-FINALS
MT. PLEASANT 31 - Ellston 12
Iowa City 19 - Cedar Rapids 9

CONSOLATION
Cedar Rapids 37 - Ellston 15

CHAMPIONSHIP
MT. PLEASANT 17 - Iowa City 16

Since 1912 the state basketball tournaments have been held in six different Iowa towns. Iowa City played host for the first five tournaments.

In 1917 the state tournament was held in Ames for the first time. Since that year tournaments have been held in Iowa City, Ames, Boone, Ottumwa, Des Moines, and Cedar Falls. Iowa City and Des Moines have been the most popular, playing tournament host 22 and 12 times respectively. For the eighth straight year thousands of Iowa basketball fans will jam the huge University of Iowa fieldhouse in 1954 to cheer on their favorite teams. Iowa City is truly a colorful mecca at tournament time.
WILLIAM J. PETERSEN

[“The Palimpsest”, State Historical Society of Iowa, March 1954, page 122-124]